"Am I showing too much boob?"

Max leaned over to assess her cleavage situation in the mirror, wiggling the sweetheart-cut top of her dress to see if anything showed.

"It's a little late for that now if you are, isn't it?"

She shot Jane's reflection a look in the mirror. The woman sat hunched over on a chair in front of the window of her Avengers Tower room, legs crossed and arms folded. She'd been ready to go for a half-hour already, and she knew the woman's patience with Max and Darcy's slowness was wearing thin. After all, their dates were waiting for them in the lobby, cars were supposed to arrive in ten minutes… She could understand her annoyance.

"Don't worry," Darcy said, suddenly appearing beside her in the mirror. "You'll never show too much boob if you stand next to me."

Max nodded and grinned. "True."

Darcy's invite to the gala had been a last-minute thing. She and Johnny were still something of an item, though every time Max tried to drag some information out of him about the exactness of their situation, he'd get all awkward and change the subject. Whatever. Darcy was about to be photographed as his date in an official setting: no longer would their relationship status be solely a piece for tabloids to speculate on.

And as Max appraised the woman in the mirror, eyes running over her fitted dress with a square neckline and dramatic shoulders, she decided she approved. Not that she was in any way, shape, or form qualified to approve or reject the women Johnny dated, but Max thought he'd made a good choice. Darcy barely flinched at his crass humour, and she'd proved time and time again that she could roll with the punches—she was infinitely more casual than Jane, and to some degree, even more so than Max. He'd done well with her.

Turning her attention back to herself, Max went for another hair pin and stuffed it in the tastefully messy bun she and Darcy had constructed on the back of her head. She'd wanted to leave her hair down at first, but when she noted all the skin she left exposed with it up, she opted to throw it up instead.

At the moment, she was still unsure of why the gala had been moved from August to September, but she definitely preferred it this way. If it had been in August, she would have gone by herself. Loki probably wouldn't have made an appearance at all, and it would have been yet another missed opportunity for them. Now that things were on the mend—tremendously so, actually—and she was finally confident in their relationship again, Max figured they could actually have a good time together tonight.

Sure, mingling with socialites and politicians and whoever else warranted an invite wasn't Loki's cup of tea, but it wasn't hers either. During the few times she'd seen Thor over the last few weeks, he also seemed tired of all the pomp and circumstance surrounding his presence on Earth, and she suspected they'd all spend most of their evening together. Jane needed to socialize, maybe take a few pictures with Stark, if she wanted to draw in a few more patrons for her program, and she suspected that was why the woman had been in a snit since she arrived at the tower.

When she left Avengers Tower well over two months ago, she never thought she'd be back. However, over the last week, she'd spent more time there than she did at home. She and Pat had been on the rocks over Pat's situation with Tony Stark: Max was against, Pat was for, and neither of them could see eye to eye. Max thought he was treating her best friend terribly, but anytime she vaguely mentioned it, there was an argument. She couldn't take it. Until her roommate came to terms with the fact that Tony Stark was not her boyfriend (and that he was awful as whatever he was to her), Max spent most of her nights with Loki.

Still no sex, mind you, but his mood seemed to improve drastically whenever she stayed the night. In fact, everything about them seemed to improve over the last week. Dates had felt easier. Nights spent in were a hoot. In fact, last night she'd played the card game Bullshit with Loki, Thor, Johnny, Darcy, and Jane, and it was probably the most fun she'd had in a long time.

Sure, there were still things they needed to talk about—namely their futures, both as individuals and as a collective pair, but that could wait. This was the fluffy beginning experience of a relationship that she'd wanted all along, and she wasn't going to ruin it by talking about something serious.

"I think I'm good to go," she said decidedly. Jane let out a long sigh, one that sounded like finally without her actually saying it, and then stood. Darcy, meanwhile was giving herself a few spritzes of perfume, but soon she too was ready to hit the road. They took the elevator down together, debating amongst themselves about every aspect of the gala: what type of food would there be, was the bar free, who would be there tonight.

Max felt she could rest easy knowing that one person wasn't going to be present tonight. News broke about Norman Osborn's hand in the death of former S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, and just about every headline in the city called him a criminal. He was, apparently, nowhere to be seen, and newscasters gave nightly updated on the "Hunt for Norman Osborn" all week. For now, all her S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued gigs had stopped, and even Loki was unsure of who would be stepping in to replace him. Some were calling for Stark himself to do it, but Max couldn't imagine Tony Stark being in charge of anything top secret for very long.

The doors peeled open to reveal an empty lobby—a rarity for this building. It seemed that everyone except the security personnel were given the night off, and she was greeted with the sight of four men instead, one of them hers. Johnny was also waiting there, forgoing his instructions to arrive with the rest of the Fantastic Four in favour of going with Darcy—or so she assumed. Bruce Banner was the odd one out, hands in his pockets and standing next to Thor in silence.

If she ever wanted a man to do a double-take when she walked into a room, Max would have wanted that man to be Loki. She slowed when he turned toward her, jacket hanging over her arm, and while it wasn't a full double-take, the look in his eye said enough.

"I thought we could match," she said as she approached him. Every time he'd worn a suit, she noticed that elements of his Asgardian armor, which she'd only seen a few times, were noticeably present. Black, green, and flecks of gold and silver found their way into his attire, and Max thought it would be nice for the two of them to look unified when they were together.

So, she dropped the designer who had been hired to work with her by Osborn's S.H.I.E.L.D., and instead just did a little shopping of her own in the city. Manhattan had no shortage of shops, and she eventually found a dress that said everything she wanted it to say. Sweetheart neckline, black, with a fitted skirt that stopped just above her knee. Over that, a piece of black, almost sheer fabric, floated down to the ground, and in some lights, there were dark glimmers of green. She'd found a pair of knock-off Louboutins with Tiffany, and instead of the trademark red sole, she'd chosen ones with green instead.

"Well?" She came in close, her voice soft and her eyes expectant. "What do you think?"

The chatter of the others was just white noise as he studied her, intently and earnestly, and just as she was about to tell him to use his words, he kissed her.

So much better than his words. Max practically melted against him, hips thrusting forward as she closed her eyes. His lips were hard and firm, and his hand held her in place beneath her chin, cool fingertips digging into her skin slightly. When he broke away, Loki rested his forehead against hers, and she couldn't stop smiling.

"So… I take that you… do like it?" She giggled as he wrapped an arm around her and dragged her even closer.

"Let's just stay here," he murmured, his breath surprisingly hot against her flushed skin. She swallowed thickly, a tingle of arousal spiking at the tone he took with her, and then exhaled shakily, slowly.

"If we stay in, all my hard work would have been for nothing," Max argued, though she could feel her resolve waning the longer he held her gaze. "Loki… Stop… looking at me like that."

"No."

His smile was almost feral, and as he swooped down to her neck, Max's hands fisted in the fabric of his well-fitted suit. She was unsure, however, if she was pushing him away or drawing him closer at this point, but as his lips worked over her sensitive skin, primed for him after being so standoffish sexually these last few weeks, Max didn't care anymore. Fuck the gala. Fuck everything except for him.

Well… She smiled, maybe fuck him too—

"Come on!" Johnny's voice bounced off every solid surface in the empty lobby, echoing so loudly that it made her flinch. The command was drawn-out and dramatic, in true Johnny fashion, and over Loki's shoulder she spied him standing by the Plexiglas doors. Everyone else had left them to it, apparently. "Let's go!"

Max wriggled out of Loki's grasp as Johnny dragged out the 'o' in 'go', and her eyes narrowed as they stalked toward him, hand-in-hand. His face was red by the time they reached the door, and it was only then that he actually shut up.

"Okay, okay," she snapped, breezing by him, Loki behind her. "We're coming."

Johnny laughed suggestively as the cool night air nipped at her bare arms, shoulders, and chest, and Max hastily slipped into her jacket. Once on, she shot Johnny an unimpressed look.

"You're a child."

"Tell me something I don't know."

He winked at her before diving in to the massive limo waiting for them by the curb, lights on and engine humming. She glanced back at Loki, exasperated, but he seemed not to mind. He gave her one last kiss on the forehead before helping her in to the limo, gathering up the portion of her dress that didn't quite make it in before climbing in himself. As soon as the door slammed shut, she watched Bruce lean over the partition and instruct the driver to go. Johnny popped open their first bottle of champagne as the limo eased into traffic, headlights and taillights a stark contrast against the descending darkness.

Just as it had been a painfully hot summer, fall had turned cool quickly, and with October just a week or so away, Max wondered if they'd have snow by Halloween.

The limo moved languidly through the early evening traffic, but no one inside seemed to notice. Thor, as always, knew how to drive conversation, and the champagne seemed to do its job pretty quick. Before long, even Banner was contributing to the chatter, though Max and he had still yet to speak one-on-one. She still wasn't sure what it was about her that he disliked, but she wasn't really in a hurry to find out.

Loki kept his hand on her thigh, thumb stroking her through the two fabrics of her dress. Every so often she'd glance his way, but he seemed genuinely interested in the conversation at hand, his champagne glass forever half-full.

By the time they reached the hotel where the gala was being held, its name both at the tip of Max's tongue and nowhere reachable at the same time, there was a queue to get into the building. Cars lined the street, waiting to pull up to the red carpeted entrance—which, according to the overall consensus of the car, was kind of gaudy—and let their patrons step out to the press mob awaiting them. From what Max and the rest had been told, they were not obligated to talk to the press or pose for pictures, but they were welcome to if the mood struck them.

She shifted in her seat and looked to Loki, knowing that the mood would never, ever strike him to talk to the press. Still, it'd be nice to have some pictures of them both dressed up at an event.

They were the first ones out of the limo when it was finally their time in the spotlight. Loki exited first, his mouth set in an almost smile, and he turned back to help Max out. She tried to move with as much grace as she could, cameras clicking away by the dozen, and she thought she did a pretty good job. Rather than clasping his hand, Max wrapped her arm around his, clutching him to her with both hands. He seemed quite happy with that, and as they made their way toward the entrance, ignoring the way various paparazzi called their names, she decided she was happy too.

Happy to have him beside her now. Happy to have him with her again. Happy that she loved him.

And proud. She was proud to stand beside him in pictures, even if he wasn't thrilled to do so. When she tugged on the front of his jacket, he looked down at her and the heat that blazed in his eyes was enough to make her squirm. She smiled and tilted her head back just as he swooped in for a kiss. It was short and sweet, maybe enough to one or two of the photographers to get a good shot.

Loki and Max and their PDA was old news, however, the moment Tony Stark pulled up to the gala. He stepped out of his car with a brunette in tow, all busty and beautiful. Max's eyes narrowed, her nails digging into Loki's jacket.

"What a dick," she hissed. Stark had told Pat that he was attending the gala solo tonight. Huffing noisily, she shook her head and started for the entrance, eager to get out of the cool night air and away from Stark before she said something she'd regret.

Loki, meanwhile, never broke contact with her once. His hand wrapped around hers, lingered on her lower back, and found a spot to rest on the back of her neck. After checking her coat in, they both wandered to the drinks table, speaking in hushed voices and ignoring the rest of the world. And as they went, she couldn't help but feel that tonight, for once, was going to be a good night.

Thor had had enough of Earth. Having lived in the realm for well over two years, he was ready to return to Asgard now more than ever. According to Heimdall, the other realms were still in chaos, rebelling against his father's rule harder than they had in the past, and a few commanders had been lost recently. It was his duty as a prince to fight for his people, for the lands that belonged to his family. Dressing up in boring cloth suits and smiling for photographs might have appeased him in the past, perhaps before he was first sent to Earth as punishment, but not now. His patience had grown shorter and shorter with each passing week, and his resolve to wait for Loki waned.

It wasn't that he disliked Earth. He loved it. He loved the people and the customs and the diversity. He wanted to cradle it to his chest and never let it out of his sight, like a child that needed constant monitoring. But he loved Asgard too. He loved his father and his mother, and he loved his people. The guilt in his heart for abandoning them for this long weighed heavy on his conscience, and he knew he couldn't wait much longer. With the way Loki spoke of Asgard as of late, he wondered if his little brother was finally ready to leave too.

He'd been content to help Jane with her various projects: the education program for young children was his favourite to take part in, but he also enjoyed helping her ready her new laboratory facility too. They both busied themselves in her work, neither willing to discuss what would happen should he leave to fight Asgard's wars, and it seemed they were content to keep it that way. He was sure that conversation would arise soon enough, and Jane's ever-logical approach to things would prevail.

Even if he was keen to leave the realm, Thor was happy to be there with her tonight. If anything, his presence bolstered her confidence at the gala event, and she'd already charmed a few prominent academics to join her organization—and they'd been there less than an hour. Thor, for the most part, acted as the spectacle that drew the rich and important in, and Jane's factual presentation of her ideas won them over in the end. They were a good team, and he wanted to see her succeed.

But that also meant his conversation thus far had been incredibly boring. He stood behind his lady, a drink in hand, and stared down the would-be patron until they acquiesced, not once interjecting unless Jane seemed like she was floundering.

And Jane didn't flounder.

He sighed. She'd been taken from him by Stark so that they could take pictures with… people unfamiliar to Thor, and he declined the request to stand in the background of their shots. He wanted to help, but it was hard for a prince of Asgard to be… What did the humans call it? Arm candy? Yes. That's it. A small part of him disliked that he'd become her prop for the evening, and even though he knew she wasn't doing it intentionally, he disliked it all the same.

The grand hall in which the gala was held filled slowly after their arrival. Men and women in fine suits and gowns paraded about, enjoying relaxing music, sumptuous food, and an endless supply of thin glasses filled with bubbly liquid. Hands clasped behind his back, Thor wandered over to the two people he felt most comfortable with in Jane's absence. Loki and Max had disappeared and reappeared over the last hour, always together and always whispering and laughing with one another.

He hadn't seen either dragged into boring conversation yet—and if he spoke honestly, that made him a little jealous. Not much, because he knew he did what he did for Jane. No one forced him to smile and nod. But still, it would have been pleasant if this experience could just be enjoyed with his lady, rather than what it had become.

No matter. This wasn't everyday life. He could set his ego aside for a single night and loiter in the background.

He found his brother and his lady by the dessert table, both of them crowded around a device that spewed melted chocolate. As he approached, he noted the card in front of it: Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Fountain. He met Loki's gaze as he drew closer, and his brother smiled but said nothing in the form of a greeting. As he expected, Loki's attention was entirely on his woman tonight, and it was easy to see why. Anyone who argued that she hadn't styled herself for Loki was either blind or a fool. Thor was pleased to see them like this—all he wanted was for Loki to be happy, after all, and these last few weeks had sent his mood on a continuous climb upward.

If he wasn't mistaken, he'd say his little brother was in love. Verily so.

Max had a little wooden spear with a strawberry in hand, and as she stuck the stick into the stream of chocolate, she knocked something askew. The whole top column pitched forward suddenly, chocolate gushing into the table, and she dropped the spear and grabbed the falling piece with both hands.

"Oh my god!"

"Why would you use your hands?" Loki snapped, though Thor could hear the amusement in his tone, his eyes alight and his lips curved into a smirk.

"I panicked!"

Max's hands were coated in a light brown glaze, and Thor laughed as Loki swooped in to save the day. All it took was a simple bit of magic to right the fountain and clean the white cloth beneath it, but he left Max's hands as they were. Thor spotted the blush on her cheeks as the other couples at the dessert table looked her over, frowning. Every time he chuckled, a frown was thrown his way too.

Boring little humans.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Loki insisted as he wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her up, his face positively alight with mischief. Thor had seen the look many times before, and he'd become adept at spotting it over the years.

Max exhaled noisily, then giggled. "Loki—"

"This is why we can't go to nice places," he told her. He then carried her toward a doorway nearby, and people darted out of their way as Loki continued speaking into Max's ear, her head thrown back in laughter.

Thor smirked as he watched them leave, then grabbed a strawberry and dipped it in the brown fountain. His eyes widened after the first bite, and he looked up at the couple hovering nearby.

"This is the most splendid combination…" He grinned toothily, then grabbed a plate and worked his way down the table, filling it with an assortment of fruits and other goodies before returning to the fountain.

When Max caught a glimpse of her expression in the mirror, she wondered if the rest of the gala guests thought she was drunk. Cheeks flushed and mouth set in a dopey grin, she definitely looked like she had chugged a couple of bottles of champagne before arriving. She grabbed the beautifully folded napkin from the row along the countertop, a bathroom attendant loitering in her peripherals, and then wiped her recently rinsed hands.

Maybe she was drunk, but not on any kind of drink. Maybe it was Loki. He'd been so attentive to her that night, and things just felt… right. Every joke hit the mark. Every touch left her breathless. Every look sent her over the edge. Maybe, just maybe, that was why she somehow managed to destroy what was probably an expensive chocolate fountain in less than ten seconds of being around it. Her smile grew at the thought of it, no longer mortified. How she'd managed to break it was beyond her, but it was a good thing Loki was there to fix it—and to sweep her out of the watchful glares of the people around her.

He'd taken her to one of the quieter bathroom areas on the lower level, forgoing the first floor facilities for something less exposed. After all, the gala probably had a few hundred people in attendance, and the first floor of the hotel, not just its primary hall, was bustling with people. Thus far they had only seen a few guests and a smattering of staff members on the lower level, which housed a massive gym and pool. He'd carried her down there, ignoring the stares, and instructed her to clean up. She wasn't sure why he couldn't have just magicked the chocolate off her hands, but Max wasn't complaining.

The gala would have been so boring without Loki, but even with him, Max found they were running out of things to do. They couldn't have been there for more than an hour, and they'd already walked the entirety of the first floor three times; stopped for drinks, food, and people watching; and speculated on the various social intricacies of new arrivals. The chocolate fountain mishap had thrown a wrench in the night, but not all wrenches were bad.

Tossing the cloth in the woven basket under the sink, Max took a few moments to touch up her hair before shooting the bathroom attendant an awkward smile. She'd never had someone just watch her fix herself up in a public bathroom before, but apparently there was a first time for everything.

She found Loki waiting for her outside. He pushed himself off the wall, arching an eyebrow at her as he did, and then nodded down to her hands.

"Clean?"

"So clean." She held them out for his examination, palms up, and then laughed. "I'm surprised I didn't get anything on my dress… That might have taken a little bit longer to—"

Max squealed when Loki ducked down and grasped her by the waist, then hoisted her onto his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, hands fisted in his jacket as he stalked away from the bathroom.

"I'd like to think I've been fairly obvious with my intentions for you all evening," she heard him say, and she twisted so that she could look up at the back of his head. The tingle of arousal that had been lurking all night intensified just by the sound of his voice, by its heady undertones—by the obvious sound of desire. She let out a shaky breath.

The last time they were actually intimate with each other seemed like eons ago. Sure, they'd kissed and caressed and held one another, but anything more than that had sort of been… off the table.

But not anymore. Max swallowed down the anxiety that the idea brought, and then then scoffed softly when she realized he'd taken them down to the pool area.

"I don't think we're allowed to be in here," she said as the almost clear door swung shut behind them. He set her down shortly after, the sounds of her heels on tile echoing in the massive room. Behind her was a monstrous swimming pool that the elite could enjoy while staying at the hotel, complete with plush seating areas on the far side.

She murmured his name softly when he spun her around to face him, ready to protest. What if someone walked in on them? What if there were cameras? However, when his lips caught hers in a heated embrace, parted and desperate, she could easily forget her concerns. Her knees buckled as he drew her to him, one hand cupping her cheek while the other pressed against her lower back. Her moans, delicate and tentative, seemed to spur him on, and she threw an arm around his neck as he deepened the kiss.

Then, as quickly as it had started, he pulled away, leaving her standing—just barely—breathlessly before him. Some of her hair had fallen loose, and she batted at it absently. There was perhaps a foot of space between them, and Max watched him raise his hand and trail his finger from her lips downward, running over her chin and down her neck. The cool tip wandered to the dip in her neckline, and she watched it rise and fall with the rhythm of her chest.

When she dragged her gaze away, she found he was staring at her face, unblinking—focused. She licked her lower lip quickly before bringing it between her teeth, suddenly unsure. However, before she had time to dwell on those feelings, Loki grasped her by her upper arm and hauled her away from the pool. Stumbling in her heels, she barely kept up, and it wasn't until he yanked open a garish wooden door that she realized where he was taking her.

Manhandling her, more like.

He threw her into the private sauna, and this time she tripped a little. Whether it was over her heels or her dress, she wasn't sure, but she caught herself on the heater at the far end of the little room. Nothing was on, no heat emitted, and for that she was thankful. The pod-lights above gave some low lighting, and Max straightened up just as Loki slammed the door shut. When she turned around, she caught him pushing the covering of the small square window on the door closed.

She held up a trembling hand as he bore down on her, crossing the space between them in two large steps. Even if he held her roughly, yanked her forward by the wrist, Max didn't feel the same sense of panic that she did on the night of Sue and Reed's wedding. This wasn't malicious behaviour. It wasn't unintentionally harsh. It was… dominating. A jolt of desire shot through her, her abdomen clenching. Loki whirled them around and pressed her against the door, the shock of hitting it forcing a little breathy gasp from her.

There was a moment of quiet that followed. He pressed up against her, one knee between both of hers, and brought his hand up. His palm caressed her neck, and she tilted her head back when he held her chin between his thumb and finger. Eyes fixed on her lips, he almost looked stern. Masterful.

She wanted to melt into the floor under his stare.

The kiss that followed was surprisingly tender, his lips ghosting over hers, and she whimpered when he nipped at her. That stole away the moment, and her hands wrapped around the soft fabric of his dress shirt as he kissed her harder now, their lips parted and tongues meeting. He wasn't like this—not normally, anyway. Not always. But then again, what was normal for them? What was always? Always would be boring. She moaned, loudly and unabashedly, when he broke away and ran his lips over her chin and down her neck, biting and sucking in an undiscernible pattern.

Max gasped when he grasped the top of her dress and yanked it down.

"Don't rip it," she protested, flinching away from him to check for damage. No tears. Good. Loki shot her a look riddled with both annoyance and amusement, and she grinned back weakly. There he was. A brief flicker of the playful man who'd fixed the chocolate fountain for her before carrying her away from the gala.

And just like that, he was gone. Loki tugged her forward and unclasped her strapless bra, tossing the black garment onto one of the benches on either side of them.

"Oh!" She whimpered when his mouth closed over her breast, teeth tugging just hard enough at her pert nipple to make her squirm. While she was distracted by teeth and tongue, Max hardly noticed his hands wandering up her legs, bunching the nearly sheer fabric of her dress with them. So when his hand curved between her thighs, its base rubbing against her, she keened his name in surprised. Her back arched as she tried to wiggle away, overwhelmed by sensation, but he held her in place firmly, continuing his pleasurable assault on her until her knees all but gave out.

By then, he'd slipped two fingers between her slick folds, her underwear on the floor and forgotten, and he pumped in and out of her at a maddeningly delicious pace. It had been so long since… She bit down on her lower lip to stifle her cry. Each touch was electric. Perfection. Her hands rested on his shoulders now, knuckles white as she clenched his jacket, and her skin prickled when Loki ran the tip of his tongue up her neck.

"My belt." Her eyes fluttered open at the command issued in her ear, but her fingers felt sluggish and clumsy as she tackled the buckle. He pumped in and out of her faster now, and she inhaled sharply—so close, so desperately close.

"Trousers too."

She almost shuddered at the velvety tone his voice took, and as she hastily opened the button and unzipped the zipper, he pulled his fingers from her. Her body almost folded in on itself, tense and taut and needy, but before her brain could even fathom the idea of touching him, pleasing him, of dropping to her knees, Loki had hoisted her up and pushed into her. She groaned, her voice low with want. It was a tight fit, and to his credit, Loki didn't ram into her. With all the roughness his touch had had that night, he eased into her slowly, his mouth lingering over her parted lips.

After everything that had happened, she expected it to hurt. An irrational part of her mind told her that she was damaged down there, wounded even, and it would be painful the next time she was intimate with a man.

Not so. She could have cried. Relief coursed through her. All her previous anxieties flitted away when he filled her, completely and utterly. She swallowed thickly, her arms wrapped around him, and then nodded when their eyes met. Yes.

He took her slowly at first, but it wasn't a pace that lasted for long. His mouth muffled her whimpers, quieted her moans, swallowed her begging. At one point, he snatched her wrists and pinned them back against the door, his thrusts harder, sharper.

"You like this," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. Her hands clenched as she felt herself cresting that hill, drawing nearer and nearer to the pleasure that she'd pushed off for months. "Don't you?"

"What?"

"When I take you... like this."

She tried to turn her head to the side, but his mouth closed around her earlobe before she could.

"Y-Yes," she said. "Sometimes."

He stopped suddenly, and Max whimpered her protests as eloquently as she could—not at all. Loki pulled out of her, still pinning her to the door, and she unlocked her ankles from behind his back.

"Sometimes," he murmured, almost as if in agreement. Max rubbed her thighs together, desperate to reach her climax, and Loki chuckled, low and soft, before pulling her from the door and pushing her toward the heater. She fell onto it again, hands grasping the smooth wood and face hovering above what would have looked like coals had the sauna been operational.

Loki dragged her dress up, exposing her, and eased back into her. Her back arched, and she whispered for him to hurry, to go harder. His hand buried in her hair, ruining whatever semblance of a hairstyle was left, and yanked her back against him, thrusting into her harshly.

"Not t-too hard," she added. His hand left her hair, his arm fitted across her chest instead, between her breasts, and Max leaned down to kiss the fingers now clutching her shoulder. His other hand wandered between her legs, barely brushing over her sensitive bud, tormenting her until she finally broke. They could have probably heard her hoarse cry upstairs, but she didn't care. Loki clutched her to him, her body trembling as waves upon waves of pleasure rippled through her.

He stilled inside her, not slipping out until they were both sure she could stand on her own, and even then she needed to lean against something.

"Come here, Max."

Max glanced over her shoulder, her vision a blurry haze of bliss, and found him seated on the bench. Loki shrugged off his jacket as she made her way to him, and she loosened his tie as she straddled him. There was a gentleness in his eyes once more, and as she slid down his still solid length, her body weak but eager for more, he kissed her softly, his hands in her hair.

And more she found with him. She wasn't sure how long they were down there, but time had no meaning anymore. She didn't care about the gala upstairs, or the people who might be looking for her. Arms around his neck, she rocked back and forth in his lap, riding him to her own unhurried satisfaction again. When she had half-recovered from that, Loki took the pace into his hands, lifting her up and down and up and down, chest to chest, until he groaned into her neck. She felt him tremble, his fingertips digging into flesh.

She could have fallen asleep right there. Breathing heavily, Max pressed soft kisses to his shoulder as he leaned his head back, almost panting.

"Should I not have…" He sat up a little, jostling her about. "Should I have finished… not…"

Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied him, and when he glanced down pointedly to where they were still joined, her cheeks flushed.

"Oh, no, it's fine," she said, clearing her throat. "I'm… birth-controlled up. It's fine."

He nodded, looking a little sleepy himself, and then pulled her close so that he could rest his head on her chest. She played with his hair for a few moments, waiting for her body to make a full recovery.

"I'm sorry we didn't do this sooner."

The words tumbled out before she could stop them, and Loki pulled away with a frown.

"I have no complaints, my sweet." He brushed some fallen hair away from her face. "Truly."

She wasn't sure if she quite believed that, but she nodded all the same. "Okay."

Exhaling slowly, Loki stretched his arms out across the top of the bench, studying her with a satisfied grin.

"Let's stay here."

She giggled before glancing back at the door.

"I'd love to," she said, "but… we should go back upstairs."

He groaned her name and dragged her closer when she tried to get off, and they fell into an easy rhythm of kisses, one that carried on for far too long. When she finally had the will to pull away, Loki let her, and she quickly reassembled what was once a nice outfit. After, she helped Loki back into his suit, even taking the time to redo his tie for him. He probably could have been dressed in a second, looking as poised as ever, but she was happy he let her lead the way instead.

"Oh my god, my hair!"

She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught a reflection of herself in the glass doors by the pool. What was once a tastefully messy bun was now a mass of crinkled waves sticking out at various places around her head. Loki chuckled as he tried to smooth it down.

"It's a little… wild," he remarked, and she shot him a glare over her shoulder.

"I need to make a bathroom pit stop," she sighed. She needed one for more reasons than her hair, and as they scuttled down the almost empty hall together, Max hoping she wasn't too obvious, she found she was eager to do a quick clean-up. Unfortunately, the same bathroom attendant from before was waiting in there, and she was met with the same scandalized look as when she stumbled in with chocolate-covered hands. Cheeks red, Max ducked her head down and made a beeline for an empty stall.

Once she'd finished up, she darted out of there as fast as she could, her hair in a loose ponytail—it was the best she could do. Loki smiled as she approached.

"Beautiful."

"I try," she muttered. He pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her midsection, holding her to him.

"You don't have to try."

She pressed her lips together and shot him a bashful look. "Thanks."

Loki kissed her one last time before they strolled back to the main floor. Unfortunately, they only managed another hour at the gala before falling into a cab together, barely able to wait until they reached the Avengers Tower before he took her again.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Yeaaaay! This was supposed to be finished tomorrow, but I figured this was a nice place to stop it. There was originally a different ending to this chapter, but I've worked it in to a few of the next chapters instead. I've actually done a lot of editing of my final few chapters, and have knocked it down to roughly 6-ish more chapters to go until it's done.

And yes, my pretties, there is a sequel. The prologue to The Long Winter will be posted the same day as the epilogue to this story, just like last time.

I've realized I need to take a sharper and more critical eye to my fanfiction plots. With this story, looking back over the chapters I was like DO EVERY IDEA YOU HAAAVE!, and I don't think that's a good habit to get into. I mentioned Max playing Bullshit with everyone briefly at the start of this chapter—that was going to be a whole chapter in like… two chapters from now. It would have been fun, but it just didn't serve a purpose. I feel like throwaway chapters may be better at the beginning of stories rather than the end, so there you have. I'm hoping my next two stories in this series are a little tighter, but I don't have too many complaints (personally) with the way this story has gone.

Anyway. YEAY SEX. I figured it'd be a touchy subject after everything that they went through, and what Max herself went through, so I thought Loki just needed to nut up and make it happen. I'd also like to think this episode of doin' it sort of gave a window into Loki's growing confidence. People mentioned in reviews that he seems to be sort of… changing, and that's a great, totally accurate observation.

Yeay all you lovely folks who have bought my book! My one-shot promo is open for September officially tomorrow: I'll write one-shot pieces from any story (including this one) for reviews from my fanfic readers. You don't have to request a one-shot if you leave a review for my book on any of the sites it's up on (see my profile for deets), but you're welcome to for the next month.

I also thought the title for this chapter is pretty damn accurate. And Thor fangirling over a chocolate fountain makes me endlessly happy.

Righto! I'm off for all-you-can-eat SUUUUSHI. Very excited. Much love to everyone, silent lurkers and reviewers alike, and I'll see you soon!